Janny Wurts advice

LaMattie

LaMattie

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Hi Janny Wurts fans!

I'd like to start reading something of Janny's since I've read some really good reviews on her work. on occasions I even spotted her name mentioned alongside George Martin, Steven Erikson and such, which was quite surprising since I've never heard of Janny Wurts before.
Anyway, where do I start? What is considered the best of her work? and does she really reach the standards of Martin the likes of him?

I didn't know where would be the best place to ask this, and then I decided that here, among her fans, would be the best way to get to know Wurts's work, and maybe even become a fan myself.
Hope you could help me...;)
 
A good easy start is "To Ride Through Hells Chasm" Its a good start as its a single volume only rather than part of a longer series - so its one complete story. That is where I started and I think its a good place to begin.
Otherwise you could try "Curse of the Mistwraith" which is the first book of her series "Wars of light and shadow" but that is really heading into a longer story arch
 
Yes I wouldn't suggest gonig straight to the Wars of Light and Shadow.

Can I suiggest as Overread points out the stand-alone nvoels To Ride Hell's Chasm or Master Of Whitestorm

You could also try her earlier stuff:

The Cycle of Fire
Book 1 Stormwarden
Book 2 Keeper of the Keys
Book 3 Shadowfane

In collaboration with Raymond E Feist.
Book 1 Daughter of the Empire
Book 2 Servant of the Empire
Book 3 Mistress of the Empire

Cheers....
 
I'll throw in my two pennies...

To Ride Hell's Chasm is great, because it gives you a really good idea of her style NOW, as opposed to 20-25 years ago. It is a great book that starts as an intriguing mystery and then breaks out into incredibly fast-paced action about half-way through. The story's timeline takes place in a week, and so it is very fast-paced (no long journeys, etc.). Master of Whitestorm and Sorcerer's Legacy were among her first novels, and she has evolved quite a bit since they were written. The latter is her first novel, very much a court intrigue story, whereas the former is like a series of short stories (each chapter is a separate adventure) about the same character, something of a tortured soul, proto-Arithon (see below) type. Alas, these two books are out of print, as is the Cycle of Fire
series cited by Gollum above.

The Empire books with Raymond Feist I found to be the best stuff in the Riftwar universe. The characters were so much more refined, and the plotting was carried out with much more finesse than what Feist usually does. If you like the Feist books, the Empire series is another great introduction to Janny Wurts (it was mine).

Janny's big epic, The Wars of Light and Shadow, stands at 8 big, fat novels, with the ninth coming out likely next fall (she is almost done the manuscript). Like the others, I suggest you try this AFTER you have read TRHC. If you like TRHC, then by all means, pick up The Curse of the Mistwraith, the first book of that series. Be aware that it is setting the foundation for an epic of 11 books, but it is by no means an infodump. You are being introduced to a big world, with vivid characters that you don't always like, and that do things that you don't necessarily want them to do, but that are very, very real.

Enjoy. I always envy you first timers. Nothing like reading a great book for the first time.
 
Clansman said:
Master of Whitestorm and Sorcerer's Legacy were among her first novels, and she has evolved quite a bit since they were written. The latter is her first novel, very much a court intrigue story, whereas the former is like a series of short stories (each chapter is a separate adventure) about the same character, something of a tortured soul, proto-Arithon (see below) type. Alas, these two books are out of print, as is the Cycle of Fire series cited by Gollum above.
Click to expand...
I have copies of these and you will find that you can source second hand copies fairly easily for anyone wanting to chase up these books.
 
I will echo the previous posts, LaMattie, and add that she also has a several short stories and a lot of additional information on her works, which can be found here. I too hope you enjoy her stuff, and envy you your find!

Grim
 
To Ride Hell's Chasm is a must. After reading the Empire series I was reccomended this and i've never looked back.

Brilliant stuff:D
 
Thanks everyone for your contributions to this thread. I am also looking for a place to start and sample some Janny Wurts. It looks like she's going to win the vote for the author to read for Feburary (in the SFF Chronicles Goodreads bookgroup).

I definitely prefer the idea of starting with a stand alone novel as I tend to avoid series these days anyway so "To Ride a Hell's Chasm" sounds like the one. I didn't know which of the three stand alone novels to try but, as Clansman said, this will show me where she's at now rather than twenty years ago and since one of my over reading aspirations is to aquaint myself with more contemporary SF and fantasy, I might as well go with the recent one.
 
Yes, TRHC is an excellent place to start. That's my standard recommendation for a new Wurts reader. In fact, for any author who you haven't tried, a stand-alone is a nice way to decide if you like them or not. That way, you don't have the unanswered questions the first book of a series poses. I started series by Sara Douglass and David Coe that I didn't like, but to this day, a little part of me wants to finish them to find out what happened. A very little part, one that gets no attention from me, because I don't have time to read sub-standard stuff.
 
I have actually thought about this a bit, and I have come to the realization that I should temper my view slightly. Where to start with Wurts depends on the reader, and where the reader is at. TRHC is a fantastic book (one of my faves), but it might prove daunting to some (it is big, and very robust in the language department). Therefore, I would describe her books, so that you can choose what best suits you right now:

Sorcerer's Legacy - fast read, one track plot, lightly romantic, female heroine. Janny Wurts advises that this quick court intrigue is what caused Ray Feist to ask her to collaborate with him on the Empire series.

Cycle of Fire trilogy (Stormwarden, Keeper of the Keys, Shadowfane) - a coming of age fantasy about three children with flaws, with a cross-genre surprise in the hidden depths (big surprise).

Master of Whitestorm - straight up adventure, about a mercenary who deals with insoluble problems. Fast-paced, written in episodes in easy bites for a commuter. If you like odd magic systems, wonders and astonishments, centerpieced by a Lethal Weapon style hero that unwinds to reveal his psychological depths - this book's for you. Recommended to people who like Sanderson, and swashbuckling. Free first chapter available as a text excerpt at Excerpts: The Master of Whitestorm

That Way Lies Camelot - short fiction collection, a grab bag of both space opera, SF and Fantasy. Nominated for a British Fantasy Award for Best Collection.

To Ride Hell's Chasm - mystery to intrigue to action adventure, with a gifted heroic lead forced to face then overcome the core circumstance that brought about his past failure. Free first chapter teaser excerpt at Excerpts: To Ride Hell's Chasm, and you can hear the first 3 chapters available as an Mp3 download of audio readings by Wurts herself at Podcasts: Readings by Janny Wurts

Then, there is the massive and wonderful The Wars of Light and Shadow which is my favourite epic series. It stands as tall in quality a A Song of Ice and Fire or Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I like it better than both of those, because the story is more balanced, the characterization is tighter, and there aren't so many bloody POVs. It is much better than Jordan's Wheel of Time, and The Sword of Truth is not fit to be mentioned in the same post, even though I have done so. If you really, really love big epic fantasy, then by all means, start here. There are excerpts of chapters, in text (and audio for Stormed Fortress), from each of the books in the series at The Janny Wurts Official Webpage, just click "Excerpts" at the top of the page. There is an interview at Keeping the Door (Master of Light and Shadow: Janny Wurts interview) which explains the motivation and makeup of the series. There are also three short stories from the series that have appeared in different anthologies.

The Empire Series, written in collaboration with RE Feist. A court intrigue, where a woman must wrestle an entrenched cultural bias to save her family. Sort of Woman of Substance meets Shogun. Easy to read story, and you can find the books anywhere. Tight plotting and the best characterization you will find in any Feist novel. I understand that this is considered subversive women's literature in Japan. Very readable, and in my opinion, it is the best stuff with Raymond Feist's name on it.

There, that should give any Wurts newbies a decent take on each of her major works.
 
Thanks for the rundown, Clansman. Wurts first came to my attention when I was reading the Riftwar books. I thought the Empire books were the best of the lot. Then I found To Ride Hell's Chasm (loved it), and that prompted me to get the Cycle of Fire trilogy, which I didn't like as much. I have all the Wars of Light and Shadow books, and I'm looking forward to reading them this year. I'm going to look into Sorcerer's Legacy and Master of Whitestorm. Your comments piqued my interst.
 
Master of Whitestorm sound like the kind heroic fantasy i like.

But like Fried Egg i choose to try To Ride Hell's Chasm to see where she is at today.
 
Yeah, "Master of Whitestorm" does sound interesting but I've already ordered "To Ride Hell's Chasm" now so my choice is made...
 
Master of Whitestorm is, unfortunately, out of print, though second-hand copies abound. Bookswap would be a good bet for it, and likely cheap, too. TRHC is plenty heroic enough, and it just explodes with action through the second half.
 
Can I ask, how many parts of the series "Wars of Light & Shadow" are there and Is the series finished?

[Edit] Actually looking at wiki, I'm completely confused:

The Wars of Light and Shadow
Code: 
    * Arc I
          o Curse of the Mistwraith (1993)
    * Arc II
          o Ships of Merior (1994)
          o Warhost of Vastmark (1995)
    * Arc III: Alliance of Light
          o Fugitive Prince (1997)
          o Grand Conspiracy (1999)
          o Peril's Gate (2001)
          o Traitor's Knot (2004)
          o Stormed Fortress (2007)
    * Arc IV: Sword of the Canon
          o Initiate's Trial (TBA)
          o Destiny's Conflict (TBA)
    * Arc V: Song of the Mysteries
          o Song of the Mysteries (TBA)
What are these Arcs I to V? Does that mean that the first book could be read on it's own?
 
I'll have a go at it, Fried, and others (my fellow Wurtsian "horsemen" in particular) will likely supplement, augment, and or toss my comments aside as they see fit! ;)

The series is NOT finished yet. The story arcs represent what Janny sees as a "separate" story within the series. Note that "separate" here means that the history of the entire series reaches a pivotal event at the end of each arc. Sometimes (without spoilers, can't be too much more explicit in description here) a number of years pass between an arc and the preceding arc. There is a relatively constant core group of characters who span the arcs, and others who are only around for an arc or two, and still others who don't make it out of the book that introduces them. The Paravia wiki (not sure which page in the Wiki you were looking at...could be the same) further describes each of the arcs as having "a specific creative thrust".

Each arc gradually deepens the reader's understanding of the other factions and the interaction/flow of the various forces inherent in Athera, coupled with those that live there.
Click to expand...
Note: the Paravia Wiki also has some bullet summary descriptions of the first 3 arcs, but their content for Arcs II and III has spoilers, and as the next book due out (Initiate's Trial) will begin Arc IV, there aren't descriptions beyond that point yet.

You can read each book as its own story with some degree of reference to the indexes in the back, but as you might suspect it's much better to read them as a series. The first book can definitely be read on its own without such assistance, of course, but if you are one who wants final resolution to all of the plots/sub-plots and conflicts, you won't be satisfied upon completion of it.

If you haven't already, would also direct you to Trystane's Janny Wurts web site, where Janny answers most any question directed at her (including more on the arcs if my feeble attempt above falls short!). You'll also find tons of additional information about both author and series there.

Should you dive into Curse of the Mistwraith (and I hope you do, as I've found the series different from any other Fantasy I've read previously, not to mention quite enjoyable), give it about 4 or 5 chapters, as Janny has to set the underpinnings for everything that comes after. It will definitely pick up. :)


 
Well, thanks for elucidation, you've made it all slightly clearer for me. :D

I haven't finished "To Ride Hell's Chasm" yet so I'll see how I feel at the end of that but to be honest, I am more likely to try one of her other stand alone novels first, particularly as I know the series isn't even finished yet (I have a real thing about not starting on series before they're complete).
 
To be honest, I was a little confused about the Arcs the first time I saw them, too. I liked To Ride Hell's Chasm, having just acquired and read it recently. One can see her style evolving between Chasm and Curse, too. I might recommend Sorceror's Legacy, a very early work, but another good story, nevertheless.

She'll probably be another 4 or 5 years finishing the last 3 books, although she indicates that Initiate's Trial is getting closer to draft submission.
 
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